. nbc's gabe gutierrez is with us tonight from midland city, alabama. gabe, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. today ethan's mother broke her silence. in a written statement she said, i woke up this morning to the most beautiful sight, my sweet boy. i can't describe how incredible it is to hold him again. at the hospital today, there were no signs of the ordeal young ethan, seen here in earlier photos, has been through. >> he was running around the hospital room, putting sticky notes on everyone that was in there, eating a turkey sandwich, and watching spongebob. >> reporter: at the site of the standoff, federal bomb technicians are searching for possible explosives. as details emerge, we're learning the fbi operation to free ethan was calculated, meticulous, and daring. >> i thought that the fbi action yesterday was exemplary, and as i think more details are shared, you will understand why i use the word exemplary. >> reporter: we now know that five days into the standoff, while 65-year-old jimmy lee dykes held ethan hostage underground, police say their daily negotiatio
